The song from The Jefferson Airplane LP "Bark" is a Grace Slick composition titled "Never Argue WithA German If You're Tired Or European Song" and is chock full of vibrato looping male and female voices. I don't have the supporting notes with the LP from 1971 to confirm whether it was indeed an actual Chamberlin or not. Really cool, though...there's even some dragging of the tapes evident. Leon Russell's "Carney"...that liitle 45 second tune has some cool chopped and minced vocals, too.
They got sued by Harry Chamberlin and he won the court case for 30 000 in 1966. The people I think who uses them best are Patrick Warren, Jon Brion and Mitchell Froom. The album I think is maybe the biggest apparent Chamberlin album is Fiona Apples Tidal which is more or less piano, bass, drums, fionas vocals and chamberlin.
Oh yes...It was pretty straight forward stealing. Bill Fransen taking two Music masters to Britain and then a couple of months later this weird machine called the Mellotron shows up which is more or less identical...The didn't try to steal the rhythmate though...
In the end it was probably a good thing. The streetlys were better at selling and mass marketing the machines (well...erm) but it was Harrys idea from the start. There is a great documentary coming out soon about mellotrons called Mellodrama. You should check it out.
Well...the Streetly brothers did a couple of things a lot better than Harry Chamberlin. For one thing...Harry Chemberlin only used the idea of a main frame on one of his models where as the Streetlys made this a strong point in their design. This makes the machine so much easier to service and work with...Tuning is a good thing too....
And I must admit Angelina Jolie isn't one of my favorite actresses...either.
Cool! Thanks for posting ! Very interesting.
HelloAgain151 1 year ago
Comment removed
mellotrongirl 3 years ago
I have never said Nups.
RothHandle 3 years ago
The song from The Jefferson Airplane LP "Bark" is a Grace Slick composition titled "Never Argue WithA German If You're Tired Or European Song" and is chock full of vibrato looping male and female voices. I don't have the supporting notes with the LP from 1971 to confirm whether it was indeed an actual Chamberlin or not. Really cool, though...there's even some dragging of the tapes evident. Leon Russell's "Carney"...that liitle 45 second tune has some cool chopped and minced vocals, too.
mellotrongirl 3 years ago
I've heard that the female voices at the end of Marvin Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy Me" was also from the Chamberlin keyboard
Kasak1984 3 years ago
This is the same sound...
RothHandle 3 years ago
I can't believe that Mellotron didn't get sued. I've seen Chamberlain credits on a Steve Hackett album I believe. Who else officially used them?
PeterMayer 3 years ago
They got sued by Harry Chamberlin and he won the court case for 30 000 in 1966. The people I think who uses them best are Patrick Warren, Jon Brion and Mitchell Froom. The album I think is maybe the biggest apparent Chamberlin album is Fiona Apples Tidal which is more or less piano, bass, drums, fionas vocals and chamberlin.
RothHandle 3 years ago
I have heard of the Chamberlain, but didn't realize how early it was invented and that Mellotron ripped them off!
PeterMayer 3 years ago
Oh yes...It was pretty straight forward stealing. Bill Fransen taking two Music masters to Britain and then a couple of months later this weird machine called the Mellotron shows up which is more or less identical...The didn't try to steal the rhythmate though...
RothHandle 3 years ago
That was cheeky of them. Pirates! arrrrrr!
PeterMayer 3 years ago
In the end it was probably a good thing. The streetlys were better at selling and mass marketing the machines (well...erm) but it was Harrys idea from the start. There is a great documentary coming out soon about mellotrons called Mellodrama. You should check it out.
RothHandle 3 years ago
Yes, the ends justify the means. Thievery of ideas, intellectual properties is always a good thing when the crooks actually are better marketers....
PeterMayer 3 years ago
Yeah...sort of like the Tomb Raider film. But just sort of...
RothHandle 3 years ago
Didn't see that classic....
PeterMayer 3 years ago
Pretty remarkable stuff. Angelina Jolie, buckets of money and a storyline so thin The Muppet show comes across as Sartre.
I prefer the Mellotrons though...
RothHandle 3 years ago
She might look ok, but top American actress? Nah...
Besides, The Chamberlain never had a chance to truly develope, considering how he, they, got ripped off!
PeterMayer 3 years ago
Well...the Streetly brothers did a couple of things a lot better than Harry Chamberlin. For one thing...Harry Chemberlin only used the idea of a main frame on one of his models where as the Streetlys made this a strong point in their design. This makes the machine so much easier to service and work with...Tuning is a good thing too....
And I must admit Angelina Jolie isn't one of my favorite actresses...either.
RothHandle 3 years ago
lovely
richragsdale 4 years ago
Thank you
RothHandle 4 years ago
It is a Mellotron 400 but the sound that you are hearing is from the Chamberlin sound library. There is no Mellotron solo female voice.
RothHandle 5 years ago
Not a Chamberlin...was a Mellotron.
SenorSpode 5 years ago
You are correct. It is a Mellotron 400 but the sound you are hearing is from the Chamberlin sound library, not the Mellotron.
RothHandle 5 years ago
You are correct...
RothHandle 5 years ago
Looks like a Minimoog on top :)
PimpinBassie 5 years ago